Escapement for can dispensers and the like



May 29, 1962 w. PETERSON ESCAPEMENT FOR CAN DISPENSERS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 12. 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 aimum INVENTOR.

= 4 H v /zzwcz M PETE/Q5 ad M, MAME ATTORNEY May 29, 1962 w. PETERSON 3,036,735

ESCAPEMENT FOR CAN DISPENSERS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 12, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

4n WEE/V65 W. PETERSON United States Patent M This invention relates to an improved escapement for can dispensers and the like.

The articles to be dispensed are stacked in a generally upright hopper. The lowermost article engages a switch actuator to control a circuit which is otherwise open at the coin-operated switch, assuming that the dispenser is coin operated. The lowermost article rests on a camming detent which is biased toward article supporting position and has a lost motion connection with a solenoid by which it may be withdrawn from such position to a second position in which the articles in the hopper are lowered but not yet released.

When coin operation energizes the solenoid to move the escapement cam from its first position to its second position, the first thing that happens is the unlocking of the cam which is normally kept locked to avoid theft. The articles are then dropped to an intermediate position. As they drop, they release the switch actuator to open the dispensing circuit and de-energize the solenoid. As the escapement cam moves back to its normal retracted and locked position, it releases the lowermost article and engages the next successive article in the stack in readiness for a further dispensing operation.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of an escapement mechanism embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a view of the mechanism on a slightly reduced scale in vertical section.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary detail view of a portion of the mechanism shown in FIG. 2 to illustrate an intermediate position of the parts.

FIGS. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the next successive position of the parts.

FIG. 5 is a wiring diagram showing an appropriate circuit.

By way of exemplification, the device is illustrated as organized for dispensing cans such as cans of soup. The cans 6a, 6b, 6c are shown stacked in a hopper '7 which communicates with a discharge chute 8. In the angle between the upright wall 9 of the hopper and the inclined top wall 10 of the discharge chute, there is a slot 11 in which there is disposed an escapement cam 15 mounted on a transverse pintle 16 and having an arcuate margin 17 substantially concentric with the pintle, a fiat margin 18 which normally lies parallel with the wall 10 in the retracted position of the cam shown in FIG. 2, and a locking detent shoulder 19.

The escapement cam 15 is biased toward the position shown in FIG. 2 by a tension spring 20 having an anchorage at 21 and connected to a pin 22 which projects laterally from the cam 15. The slot 23 of link 24 is also engaged over this pin. This provides a lost motion connection with the armature 25 of solenoid 26. The slack in the lost motion connection is normally taken up by a tension spring 27 connected between the pin 22 which connects the link with the cam 15 and another pin at 23 which connects the link 24 with armature 25.

The link 2 has an integral locking dog 30 which, in the position of the parts shown in :FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, is disposed immediately beneath the cam shoulder 19 to prevent the oscillation of the escapement cam 15 unless and until the solenoid 26 is energized to draw its armature 25 from the position of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 to the 3,036,735 Patented May 29, 1962 position of FIG. 3. In FIG. 3, the initial movement of the armature 25 has withdrawn the link 24 against the bias of spring 27 to move the link with respect to cam 15 to the full limit of movement permitted by the slot 23. Thus, before any movement is imparted to the cam 15, the locking dog 30 will have been retracted from beneath the cam shoulder 19. Thereupon, continued movement of the armature will be transmitted to the cam 15 for the oscillation thereof counterclockwise as viewed in the drawings.

In the course of such oscillation of the cam 15, its concentric surface 17 will be withdrawn from beneath the lowermost article 6a in hopper 7, thereby allowing the can or similar article shown at 6a to drop from the position marked I in FIG. 2 to the position marked III in FIG. 4. Here the can 6a will be engaged by the edge 18 of the escapement cam 15 and thereby held in supporting relation to the other articles in the hopper 7 as shown in FIG. 4.

As soon as the solenoid 26 is de-energized, the tension spring 20 will retract the escapement cam 15 back to the position shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, whereby the article 6a will be allowed to roll freely down the chute 8. Its inertia will require an appreciable interval of time before this article rolls from beneath the other articles in the chute. Meantime, the escapement cam 15 will have been restored to the position shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 where its curved lobe 17 will lie beneath the article 6b which is now lowermost in the chute. This article will thereupon descend a bit further than the position shown in FIG. 4 to the position originally occupied by the article 6a in FIG. 2.

Mounted on the front wall 9 of the hopper 7 is a switch 35 having a push button 36 and engaged by an actuator lever 37. As the lowermost can 6a in the hopper passes from position I, FIG. 2, to position III, FIG. 4, it will occupy for a brief interval the position shown in dotted lines at II, FIG. 4, in which position the lever 37 which constitutes the actuator for switch 35 will move into the position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 4, thereby permitting switch 35 to operate.

The preferred wiring arrangement is shown in FIG. 5. The coin switch 38 is in series with the contactor of relay 41 which is energized through normally closed hopper switch 35 which, however, is held open by the actuator 37 at all times except during the interval when a can is being dispensed. When the coin switch 38 is closed, the relay 40 is energized to complete a holding circuit which temporarily energizes the solenoid 26 to attract the armature 25 and dispense a single can. As thesuccessive articles move downwardly in the hopper to a position in which the lowermost article is at the level indicated at II in FIG. 4, the switch actuating lever 37 is temporarily released and the switch 35 closes to energize a reversing relay 41 and thereby to break the holding circuit through relay 40 and deenergize the solenoid 26, thereby permitting the escapement cam 15 to oscillate back to its original position until the coin switch 38 is closed with another com. 7

Due to the locking detent and the lost motion between link 24 and the escapement cam 15, unauthorized operation of the escapement is precluded and the escapement mechanism operates simply and dependably when the coin switch 38 is closed.

I claim:

1. In an escapement mechanism for the gravity dispensing of articles, the combination with a hopper for a stack of articles to be dispensed, and having discharge means, an escapement cam pivoted for oscillation adjacent the hopper between first and second positions, said cam having an article supporting portion normally disposed in the hopper in the path of the lowermost article therein and oscillatable from said path in the movement of the cam toward its second position, sa d cam having another portion which, in its second position, is disposed in the path of an article approaching said discharge means, said other cam portion being normally retracted from the path of such an article when the cam is in its said first position, an article engaged by said last mentioned cam portion being adapted to support a successive article in the hopper at a level above the level at which such article will be engaged by the first mentioned portion of said cam in the hopper, and means for oscillation of said cam from its first to its second position and back to its first position whereby to release a single article through said discharge means and to lower a successive article onto said first mentioned cam portion in the hopper, the cam operating means comprising a solenoid having an armature and a link connecting the armature with the cam for oscillation of the cam from its first to its second position, means for temporarily energizing the solenoid and immediately de-energizing the solenoid, and biasing means acting on the cam for restoration thereof to its first position upon the de-energization of the solenoid.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which the means for energizing and de-energizing the solenoid comprises a normally open switch and a normally closed switch in series and a relay having a contactor in circuit with the solenoid, the normally closed switch having switch opening means including an actuator disposed in the path of the lowermost article in the hopper, the articles in the hopper being formed to release said actuator as the lowermost article descends in the hopper and to re-engage said actuator to open said normally closed switch when said actuator is engaged by a successive article in the hopper, the relay having a coil connected in circuit with the closed switch and adapted to de-energize the solenoid when the normally closed switch opens.

3. The combination of claim 2 in which said cam is provided with a detent shoulder, and said link has a lost motion connection with the cam and a detent normally engaged with the shoulder, and means subjecting the lost motion connection to bias in a direction to maintain the detent normally in the path of said shoulder, the said link being movable against said bias in a direction to remove the detent from the path of the shoulder when the solenoid is energized and before motion is transmitted from the link to the cam in a direction to oscillate the cam from its first position toward its second position.

4. A dispenser of the character described comprising the combination with a generally upright hopper and a downwardly inclined chute, the hopper and chute having contiguous walls provided with a communicating slot, of a transverse pintle externally of said slot, a cam mounted on the pintle for oscillation between said first and second positions, the cam having a lobe substantially concentric with the pintle and projecting through said slot into the hopper in the first position of said cam, and being retractable through said slot from the hopper in the second position of the cam, the cam further having a marginal portion normally retracted from the chute in the first position of the cam and movable into the chute toward the hopper in the second position of the cam, a solenoid having an armature and a link connecting the armature with the cam for the advance of the cam from the first position to the second position when the solenoid is energized, said cam having a laterally projecting pin and the link having a slotted portion engaged with the pin and providing for lost motion between the link and the cam prior to the movement of the cam upon energization of the solenoid, means for normally taking up the lost motion between the link and the cam, a shoulder on the cam, and a detent mounted on the link and normally in the path of the shoulder to preclude movement of the cam from its first position until the energization of the solenoid has advanced the link to the extent of lost motion permitted by the slot of the link, whereupon the detent is removed from the path of the shoulder and oscillation of the cam from its first position to its second position is effected.

5. The dispenser of claim 4 in which the means for taking up lost motion comprises a tension spring connected between said pin and said armature.

6. The dispenser of claim 4 in further combination with a tension spring connected to said pin and having a fixed anchorage in a position such that said last men tioned spring acts on said cam in a direction to bias it toward its said first position.

7. In an escapement mechanism for individually dispensing articles by gravity from a stack of articles in a hopper, a cam pivoted for oscillation between a first position for supporting the stack of articles and a second position for releasing the lowermost article of the stack to discharge, a spring urging the cam toward the first position thereof, a solenoid, means linking the solenoid to the cam, a first relay controlling energization of the solenoid, a normally closed switch opened upon downward movement of the stack of articles, a second relay controlled by the normally closed switch for controlling energization of the first relay, and a normally open switch in series with contacts of the second relay, closure of the normally open switch during closed position of the first said switch causing energization of the solenoid to oscillate the cam from the first position to the second position and opening of the normally closed switch causing deenergization of both relays and of the solenoid upon movement of the lowermost article of the stack from said first position to said second position.

8. In an escapement mechanism according to claim 7 in which the cam has a detent shoulder and a detent is operated by the solenoid for normally engaging the cam shoulder and holding the cam in the first position and is linked to the cam by a lost motion connection connected to the cam at substantial spacing from the pivot thereof, the spring moving the cam from the second position to the first position of the cam and taking up the lost motion upon de-energization of the solenoid following release of the lowermost article from said second position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,279,093 Peters Apr. 7, 1942 2,380,194 Sharp July 10, 1945 2,562,015 Cattanach July 24, 1951 2,743,001 Nordquist -2 Apr. 24, 1956 2,816,719 Richert Dec. 17, 1957 2,956,660 Nordquist Oct. 18, 1960 

